Hinduism

Buddhism

Atheism

Agnosticism

Other

I used to be a relatively consistent church-goer and Christian, but over time I really just don't think I believe in anything. So, with that uncertainty, I thought it would be interesting to see what people on here believe in...

Also, please, PLEASE respect anyones views. Religion can be a very sacred thing for some people, and I'd hate to see someone ridiculed for their beliefs. Besides, this forum is such a supportive environment...it would be sad to see that happen (though, I don't think it will).

**Also, I wasn't trying to pick any specific religion over another by placing them in order for the poll. I tried to pick some of the more well-known (and top ranking, in terms of members worldwide) religions...I didn't mean to offend anyone if I left your religion off, or etc.

I'd love to have some sort of religion to believe but I can't stop myself from questioning stuff like that, and if you question religion instead of blindly following it its validity quickly fades away.

Dear Friends – I believe that life on Earth is a place of learning and a school of mysteries. In past ages, God has been considered to be its Great Mystery. But the unravelling of what and who we are, to me is the greater mystery by far. Not for nothing has it been said: ‘Children of Earth know yourselves, and you shall know God and the Universe.’ But before we can make any progress in our search, we first need to discover and unravel who and what we truly are.

To me. this life, all life and all worlds, and everything in them – including humankind – is a gift from God and therefore, sacred and holy. And I cannot – for the life of me – share the belief that a great many still seem to hold onto, that this life is a one-off thing. If that were true, then our earthly existence would be extremely unfair and unjust, when in reality it is anything but that. Just take a closer look at our world and its people, and you cannot help but come to the conclusion that such a narrow view cannot be right. First, because it does not make any sense, and second, because that would not do justice to the preciousness and holiness that is contained in all life. The greatest draw-back to the belief of the one-off system is that it cannot explain the purpose and meaning of so much suffering in our world. How could the all-loving and all-knowing Wisdom of the Universal Intelligence of its Creator throw the kind of fate upon any of Its creatures and creations, which we and our world have had to endure, as far back as some kind of records exist?

It is up to each individual soul to decide what we can and wish to believe. How does one tell a truth from a lie? It is really quite simple: if something makes sense and there is a resonance from the innermost core of our being, then our inner Self is giving us the message that what we are hearing is true; that then is our truth. It is also left to each one of us to come to terms with and make peace with our existence within the Universe. In my view, everything in our world is always at the highest point of its individual and collective evolution. And each one of us is the sum total of all the experiences we ever gathered, throughout many lifetimes. The only way we can understand this life is from the level of development our soul has reached, up to now.

I believe that we are all here together, so that we can help each other find our own way back to our Source, to God – whoever and whatever that may mean to us. Everybody is in need of developing their own personal philosophy of life, which supports and sustains them through the inevitable ups and downs that are a necessary part of every soul’s life learning. Those who have woken up to their true nature are called upon by the higher and Highest Forces in the whole of Creation to act as lightworkers and healers through building bridges between the religions and belief systems of our work. Fighting over the things that separate us has been the way of the past, whilst we are here as peacemakers in search of and concentrating on that which we and they all have in common.

Who is blind?
The one who cannot see another world.
Who is dumb?
The one who cannot speak a word of love at the right time.
Who is poor?
The one who is plagued by too many desires.
Who is rich?
The one whose heart is contented.

I just realized I never really posted my beliefs in this thread...woops! Anyway, like I mentioned previously, I used to be a somewhat devout Christian (I say somewhat because I was young then, and I feel like young minds can typically be molded in one direction or another). As time has gone on, I find myself questioning religion more and more...and I've reached a point where I just don't believe in it. Or if there is a God, then I'm a deist and believe that he does not intervene with our lives.

Do I want to believe there is a God? Of course! I hate the thought that we are here for no reason and once we die, we die. I want to believe that there is an afterlife, and that it's glorious...but when I study most religions, it just seems like the craziest stuff. I can't even take the Bible seriously. Oh well.....maybe my opinion will change again as I evolve into the years.

You want to know the funniest thing of all though? The biggest reason why I won't kill myself is because I'm afraid of going to Hell. Even though I don't really believe in anything, the thought of Hell is so horrific that it keeps me here. :dry:

I'm an atheist. I'd like to be more spiritual (I really feel drawn to nature-based religions and such), but I find it hard because I question everything and like Fawkes said, when you do that, it makes it difficult to follow any 'faith' honestly.

Agnosticism. Throughout all the religions and belief systems out there, I could never find any certainty with regards to the nature of God, the afterlife, and so on. I feel we humans are just to limited in our faculties to truly grasp what's beyond this world.

Those that feel such strong certainty in their beliefs have, and continue to maintain, some sort of personal connection that no one else, but others who have experienced it, could understand. I have yet to experience any such feeling, but I remain open to it.

Dear Friend – it all depends on what you mean by ‘faith’. I hope you don't mind me sharing with you some of the reflections of what this concept means to me.

The way I understand this life is that we are now entering the Age of Aquarius and the one we are leaving behind was the Age of Pisces, an age of blind faith. Now that we are standing at the threshold of the Age of Aquarius, this part of the evolutionary path of our race lies safely behind us and many are beginning to find a new faith that is very different from that of all previous ages. It is of a visionary nature and based on the spiritual knowledge and wisdom that is increasingly flowing intuitively into every heart and soul directly from the Source of our being. This kind of faith is no longer an outer and therefore wobbly manifestation. It is an aspect of consciousness and a part that naturally belongs to every soul. It reveals its presence as an inner awareness that there is a Great plan of life, in which each has their allocated place and role to play. Through accepting that the Universe really does love each one of us and that all life rests safely in its loving hands; that it is on our side and knows exactly what it is doing, we learn to trust that we shall be safe wherever our destiny may wish to take us.

True faith is born within us from the knowledge that life is good and always moving forwards on all its levels. Faith accepts that we cannot direct life but that, if we relax into it, all will be well for as long as we do not try to control its flow but learn to go with it, whilst listening to our inner guidance to tell us what is right or wrong for us in any given moment. When we do this and do our best to work with the Universe, instead of against it, God and the Angels bring healing for us and our lives. Without such faith our lives will always remain empty, lacking focus and a centre, life on the Earth plane can be an extremely frightening experience for sensitive human souls.

Some believe that faith is a second rate option and many seem to think that religions can somehow give people faith. Yet, some of the most devout church-goers that ever came my way had no faith, i.e. no trust in life whatever. To this day, I am wondering whether the reason for going to church such a lot is that they are hoping that one fine day they will find faith there. The way I see it, the true variety of it cannot be imparted by religion or anyone or anything else, because it is something that must grow from within. It makes no difference whether one follows one of the religions of our world or none at all. This kind of faith comes to us through living one’s life and through learning to trust its goodness. We can and should seek the support of groups and have some input into them, but no matter who they are, they cannot give us faith; nothing can do this for us, except through experiencing life itself.

I believe that some people need those religions in their lives, but I know for a fact I'm not going to believe them.

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Dear Friend – although many seem to believe that religions can give you faith, in truth no-one can give it to us and genuine faith is by no means an easy option or an escape route. Quite the opposite! But the going gets smoother, the more our faith in the Universe’s gently helping, supporting and guiding hand grows in us. Faith is an inner hunger and thirst to find truth, and to tell the truth. It is a quest for knowing that which comes directly from God and is therefore pure, true and eternal. It is that which helps us to tap into our own inner fountain of truth, wisdom and knowledge, so that we no longer need to accept what anyone else says, unless it has been verified from within.

Faith grows from knowing that we are all here together to learn certain lessons from each other; and that sometimes we find ourselves in the role of pupil and other times as teacher. Faith comes when we realise that no-one and nothing really is our enemy, except the ignorance our small and fearful earthly self is riddled with; and all its fears are caused by not knowing. Yet, wise ones who learn to walk in faith, trustingly put their hand into the hands of God and the Angels and ask them to help them overcome their ignorance and, through it, all their fears.

Faith is no option for cowards. It takes a lot of bravery to trust God implicitly, to be able to say whole-heartedly: ‘Thy Will be done!’ and mean it, whatever the consequences may be. Just try it, and you will see what is meant. Faith provides our heart and soul with a harbour, a place where we can drop anchor and know that we are safe. Living with faith gives us the strength to trust that everything will always come right in the end, no matter how dire things may sometimes appear to be, on the surface of things. To have faith means to accept that life on Earth is a school and that we are all on an evolutionary pathway. It means trusting that in this school there are no sinners and no losers, only learners. For as long as we are willing to learn and grow through every experience, we shall always be one of life’s winners.